Dexter Avenue Baptist Church

Dexter Avenue Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama, United States, affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention. The church was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974.[2][3] On January 1, 2008 the US Government also submitted it to UNESCO as part of an envisaged future World Heritage nomination and as such it is on the UNESCO 'Tentative List of World Heritage Sites'.[4] In 1978 the official name was changed to the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, in memory of Martin Luther King Jr., who was pastor there and helped to organize the Montgomery bus boycott in the church's basement. The church is located steps away from the Alabama State Capitol.

Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, 2000
Location454 Dexter Avenue
Montgomery, Alabama
Coordinates32°22′38.26″N 86°18′10″W
Built1883-89
Architectural styleLate Victorian, Other
NRHP reference No.74000431
Significant dates
Added to NRHPJuly 1, 1974[1]
Designated NHLMay 30, 1974[2]

History

The Dexter Avenue Baptist Church congregation was organized in 1877 and was first known as the Second Colored Baptist Church. The church trustees paid $270 on January 30, 1879 for a lot at the corner of what is now Dexter Avenue and Decatur Street. The first church building was a small wood-frame building, it began to be replaced by the current structure in 1883. The new brick building was not completed until 1889. The church began serving the broader African American community on October 3, 1887 when it hosted the first registration of students for Alabama State University.[5] This community service continued into the 20th century with activities associated with the Civil Rights Movement. In 1899, Selma University cofounder William H. McAlpine became pastor. Vernon Johns, an early leader of the Civil Rights Movement, served as pastor from 1947 to 1952. He was succeeded by Martin Luther King Jr., who was pastor of the church from 1954 to 1960, and organized the Montgomery bus boycott from his basement office.[3]

Near the church is the Dexter Parsonage Museum, which served as home to twelve pastors of the church between 1920 and 1992. The church was added, on its own merits, to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.[5]

  • Exterior
  • Interior
  • Dexter Avenue King Memorial Legacy Center
  • Dexter Parsonage Museum

See also

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. "Dexter Avenue Baptist Church". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. September 18, 2007. Archived from the original on January 11, 2008.
  3. Marcia M. Greenlee (July 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: Dexter Avenue Baptist Church". National Park Service. Cite journal requires |journal= (help) and Accompanying 2 photos, exterior, from 1973 (1.29 MB)
  4. UNESCO World Heritage Convention, Tentative Lists, Civil Rights Movement Sites, https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5241/ (Referenced 6 Dec 2016)
  5. "History". Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church & Parsonage. December 24, 2008.
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